The subject invention relates to an envelope hopper for a mailing machine, and more particularly, a hopper having a large, storage capacity.
Inserting machines typically include a plurality of feeding devices which feed documents from a pack of documents situated in a hopper seriatim to a transport deck therebelow, from which a collated packet of documents are eventually inserted into an envelope. The envelopes are fed from a hopper seriatim to the transport deck to receive the documents. The envelope feeders employ hoppers that generally are inclined at a fixed angle which usually is somewhere between about 20 and 30 degrees. The feeder depends on gravity to slide the documents down to and against a separator roller and stone for seriatim feeding.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,922 for an Envelope Feeding Apparatus, issued Jan. 13, 1987 to Frank Roetter. et al, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, it is known in the art to have a hopper oriented at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane. Moreover, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,718 for a High Capacity Sheet Feeder, issued Feb. 18, 1992 to Constance R. Stepan, et al, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, it is known in the art to provide a main urge roller situated midway between the top and bottom edges of the sheet stack such that the stack is bent at a point about midway between the top and bottom edges. A secondary feed roller is parallel to and situated above the main urge roller near the top edge of the stack such that a line of tangency joining the peripheries of the urge roller and the secondary feed roller is disposed at an angle between 40 and 50 degrees to a horizontal plane.
Stacks for feeding documents can be oriented in a variety of angularly sloping directions to achieve particular, desired objectives. Typically, in such a configuration, there is a limit to the size of a stack that can be used because at a certain point, the pressure and weight becomes too great for effective, efficient feeding and separation.
Notwithstanding the aforesaid prior art, there has been a long felt and as yet unsatisfied need to provide an envelope hopper wherein the hopper is constructed and arranged for providing a large, storage capacity for a stack of envelopes.